Will John Kasich Drop Out After New York? The Presidential Candidate Might Have A Plan

On Tuesday, New York voters came out to cast their ballots in the 2016 presidential elections — another big state for Democrats and Republicans alike. The race on the GOP side has been led mostly by businessman and frontrunner Donald Trump, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich trailing behind in most states. With 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination, the gap between Trump and Kasich is definitely a big one — Trump with his 756 delegates (before New York), and Kasich with just 144. Kasich pulled some numbers in New York, though coming in second place, before Cruz. Even so, with the Ohio governor so far behind his fellow Republican contenders, will John Kasich drop out after New York?

At the current rate, none of the three candidates are on track to win enough delegates to secure a nomination ahead of the GOP convention, but Kasich is certainly far behind. So far, he has only won in his home state of Ohio, and has reportedly collected fewer delegates than Marco Rubio, who dropped out after the Florida primary.

It's unclear whether or not Kasich will go ahead and drop out, or if his run is strategic enough to lead to a contested Republican convention — a chance at keeping Trump from taking the nomination. Surprisingly, Trump seems to believe the latter.

A spokesperson from Kasich's campaign also spoke to CNBC claiming, "The reason why Trump and Cruz are trying to push us out is they know we can win an open convention." Echoing that statement, Tom Ridge, former Pennsylvania governor and a national co-chairman of Kasich's campaign, noted, "What I find fascinating is Trump and Cruz blaming John for their inability to get to 1,237 [delegates]."

Looks like Kasich will likely remain in the race, even after the New York primary, especially with his shot at possibly securing the nomination at a probably contested Republican convention in July.